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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Cases against alleged flood control personalities built over months, not sudden — Assistant Ombudsman

Cases against alleged flood control personalities built over months, not sudden — Assistant Ombudsman

Published May 28, 2026 02:26 pm

At A Glance

  • The Office of the Ombudsman said investigators are developing witness testimonies and gathering evidence on alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
The Office of the Ombudsman said the case being built against those allegedly involved in the flood control controversy has been under development for months, pushing back against claims that the investigation of some personalities emerged suddenly.
Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic Clavano IV said the probe has been ongoing since September, when names first surfaced during hearings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Asked during a DZMM interview why the cases appeared to be taking time, Clavano said the public may only now be seeing developments because corruption investigations require extensive evidence gathering.
“Yung crime kasi po ng corruption, tinatago po talaga yan. Hindi naman yan nakasulat sa papel. Wala namang invoice or delivery receipt (The crime of corruption is usually hidden. It is not written on paper. There are no invoices or delivery receipts),” he said.
The official said investigators have been continuously developing witnesses and gathering evidence tied to the alleged irregularities.
“Kaya dun sa mga nagsasabi na ngayon lang ito [kaso] at bigla na lang itong lumabas. Sa amin po, matagal na namin sinasabing matagal na proseso ito (So to those saying the case only surfaced now and suddenly came out, we have long been saying that this is a lengthy process),” Clavano said.
The Office of the Ombudsman said its team continues to gather evidence as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged flood control anomalies.
Clavano also said the office recently attempted to serve a subpoena on the House of Representatives, but the process server reported that it was initially refused pending legal advice.
He said there has since been dialogue between House leadership and the Office of the Ombudsman, with both sides attributing the incident to possible miscommunication.
“So, we can expect na itong mga minutes, itong mga attendance lists, lahat ng transcripts nila ay ibibigay na nila sa amin (So, we can expect that the minutes, attendance lists, and all of their transcripts will already be turned over to us),” he said.

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OMBUDSMAN MICO CLAVANO FLOOD CONTROL
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